


Crash Landing

by lost_spook



Category: Blake's 7
Genre: Collection: Fandom Stocking 2015, F/M, Ficlet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-08
Updated: 2016-01-08
Packaged: 2018-05-12 15:14:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5670520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lost_spook/pseuds/lost_spook
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dayna, Tarrant, a crashed vehicle, and a strange computer, what could go wrong?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Crash Landing

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Clocketpatch](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Clocketpatch/gifts).



Having shot down the last of their pursuers, the small flier lurched to the ground in a path perilously close to a nose dive, a tail of smoke billowing out behind it.

“Not bad for two people who ought to be dead by now,” said Dayna, as they made a hasty escape in clambering out. “Nice piloting – shame about the dud ship.”

“And your aim was definitely improving by the end there, even with that dodgy targeting system.”

Dayna grabbed his hand. “Come on!” she said, and they raced away from the crashed ship towards the cover of some tall evergreens, just in time to be out of range as the vehicle finally exploded.

“Impressive,” said Tarrant, with a grin at Dayna. “That should fool anyone watching.”

Dayna nodded. “I’d say we’re definitely dead, wouldn’t you?”

“Couldn’t possibly have survived,” agreed Tarrant. He watched the burning flier for a while longer. “You don’t think you overdid it –?”

Dayna said, “Well, they had to _see_ it, didn’t they? No point in thinking small.”

“If you say so. Now, here’s hoping they finally leave us alone long enough for us to use this thing to contact Orac.”

Dayna eyed the box containing the late vehicle’s somewhat primitive flight computer. “Are you sure you didn’t break it?”

“I don’t think so,” said Tarrant, but he looked at it doubtfully. It was battered and singed, and trailing stray leads from the top and showed no signs of life whatsoever. “It came out pretty easy anyway.”

Dayna grinned. “Just fell into your hands, Tarrant? I thought that was usually Vila’s excuse.”

“Anyway,” said Tarrant. “Let’s try.” He put the box down on the forest floor and started examining it as Dayna sat down against the nearest tree and watched with interest. He didn’t seem to be getting very far.

“What we need now,” Dayna said, “is a computer expert. Shame we don’t know one, isn’t it?”

“I’ve always found they’re more trouble than they’re worth.”

Dayna watched him fiddle with it for a few minutes longer, before getting up and crossing over to crouch down beside him. After a few more minutes, she took it from him, running her hands over it. “Doesn’t it have an ‘on’ switch?”

“I don’t think so,” said Tarrant. “Or at least, if it does, somebody hid it really well.”

“It’s almost as if people don’t want us to pinch their computers and use them for our own ends. Spoilsports.”

Tarrant glanced upwards, although it wasn’t as if there was any real chance of spotting the Scorpio from ground level. “Damn! And Avon doesn’t even know which side of the planet we ended up on. He might look, but not for that long.”

“And our display was pretty convincing, even if he _does_ ,” said Dayna, and she and Tarrant exchanged a wry glance.

“We could be stuck here for good.”

Dayna watched him. “What, just you and me? Well, it doesn’t look that bad. Seems to be out of the way of the Federation, at least.”

“For now,” said Tarrant. “Probably not for much longer.”

“Plenty of angry people round here, though,” she added, wrinkling her nose.

“I don’t think they liked us stealing their scientific secrets.”

Dayna shook her head. “People are so unreasonable.”

Tarrant laughed, and was about to say something else in reply, when suddenly, the box beside him flickered into life, lights playing about its casing. A prim, mechanical voice started listing faults of its now non-existent vehicle that needed fixing: “Temperature controls: malfunctioning. Temperature is now one full degree below recommended level. Navigation systems: offline . . .”

“Your ship’s gone,” said Dayna to it. “It made a very pretty explosion as it went.” The machine, however, carried on without heeding her, lamenting the state of its casing, fuel levels, and showed no signs of stopping. “That’ll teach us to rely on a computer, won’t it?”

“Well, when it’s finished with that, we should be able to use it.”

Dayna grimaced. “Could be a while. What do we do in the meantime?”

“Scout around for shelter and try not to die?” suggested Tarrant.

Dayna stepped forward. “Not a bad idea, but I’ve got a better – at least until that tin can finishes its calculations.” She grinned wickedly at him and leant over and kissed him just below the ear, tugging at one of his curls with her fingers as she did so. She gave him another smile, this one slower, daring him to respond in kind. “What do you say, Tarrant – darling?”

“I’d rather find somewhere more comfortable,” said Tarrant. “And, you know, we should put some more distance between us and that wreck back there.”

Dayna drew back. “True.”

“But on the other hand,” he said, grabbing hold of her unexpectedly, “we can’t have you getting bored.”

“No. I mean, I might have to kill you.”

“ _Definitely_ can’t have that, then,” said Tarrant, kissing her with enthusiasm.

The lights on the small box beside them flickered again, and the prudish little metallic voice said, “Please state your desired destination.”

Dayna kicked it over. “Nowhere _you’d_ be likely to understand,” she told it, before pulling Tarrant down onto the uneven ground with her, a determined glint in her eyes. She ran a hand through his hair, gripping a little too hard, but her fingers on his cheek were light and her kisses softer than her murmured death threats might have led one to expect.

“If you won’t state your destination,” said the computer, unimpeded by being on its side, “please leave the vehicle! Other passengers are waiting!”


End file.
